


A Bouquet of Roses

by blubu



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: A little bit of that too, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I MEAN IT'S JUST FLUFF, LIKE WHEN I SAY IT'S JUST FLUFF, Leaf being precious, No Plot/Plotless, Rose is an edgy teen, That's it, as always, but it's really just fluff, but she has big sis energy, i love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 08:38:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18961723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blubu/pseuds/blubu
Summary: So they stayed like that. Curled against one another, the soft chirps of maskflies and gentle brushings of the wind lulling the two into a state of calm. Rose gently brushed her black claws over the Vessel’s shell as she slipped her eyes shut and blocked out the dangers of the world around them.





	A Bouquet of Roses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StellaHope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaHope/gifts).



> Leaf belongs to Stellahope!! stella's,,, amazing,,,,,, also this has been in my wip for so long whOOps--

The butterfly’s small wings flapped. Her small form raised, fell, body rolling into a ball and slowly coming to a rest as the momentum of her crash was put to a rest.

 

Her wings hurt.

 

Standing to her feet, the butterfly tucked back her aching wings and brushed the dust off her new clothes. Despite her liking for fancy and simply dazzling clothing (as taught by her late mother), she had a habit of tearing them up too quickly. She shook her head at the thought and continued walking on.

 

Tuning into her most basic instincts, she glanced with black eyes at the foliage around her. It was crucial absolutely no one was around to witness where she was headed. She knew very well who would be following her and refused to allow them to harm the object of her endearment. Confirming she felt no presences trailing her, she silently continued on.

 

She ducked into a nearly hidden passage covered by foliage. This was a place she frequented to be alone—could be considered a  _ special place _ for her—however, she saw the person she invited into the space to be just as special as the times she had alone there. (Perhaps even more so.)

 

Emerging into the room the pathway lead to, she breathed in the smell of foliage—despite it being literally  _ everywhere  _ in this area—and gazed upon the stone bench covered in vines. She sat and crossed her hands over her lap, now just… waiting.

 

Waiting for what? Well, a Vessel. Which may seem strange if you consider her “occupation”; murdering Vessels. Usually, she was the one who hunted them down. The butterfly was an impatient huntress.

 

Yet she was not meeting with this Vessel to kill them. Far from it, really.

 

Though sitting at this bench, she couldn’t help but wonder. What if some other force had gotten to them before they could even arrive? What was taking them so long to arrive? Black claws began to nervously tap and twitch against the leaf of her skirt. What if they had fallen into a pit of acid? Or crashed into a pit of spikes? Or what if the infection had suddenly sprung up again and they had been taken by one of the mindless creatures? What if they had been taken by the infection  _ itself? _

 

Her anxiety-filled thoughts continued even as a small hand suddenly found itself resting against the bench she was sitting upon. The small being hopped up next to her and leaned their shell against just underneath her shoulder.

 

Of course, most of those scenarios were preposterous. Utterly absurd, unexplainable even in theory. They had told her once that they did fall into acid once, however. So that wasn’t out of the question. Her worry began building once more, because  _ what if they had fallen into a pit of acid or thorns or _ —

 

_ ‘Rosie?’ _

 

“Not now. I’m thinking, Leaf.” She brushed them off with a wave of her clawed hand. Settling back into her thoughts, she slowly blinked as—

 

“Leaf!” She swerved to face the Vessel beside her, regretting the action as soon as she recognized the effects of whiplash. “I didn’t notice you come in.” A flush of green met her cheeks at her own mistake, while her friend’s shoulders simply shook in silent giggles. She felt her face only growing hotter in embarrassment as she quickly looked to the side with a soft huff. 

 

“Well, what took  _ you _ so long anyway?” She huffed once again as she turned to the Vessel, feigning annoyance. 

 

Leaf turned their shell down, stubby fingers fiddling with the edges of their green cloak. Rosette blinked at the display, laughing softly as she rubbed just between their slightly larger pair of horns.

 

“I’m kidding, dear.” Her eyes closed in a small smile. “I know it must be hard to get here from the capital.” She peeked open a single eye to look down at her companion. “Sorry, by the way. For making you come all the way out here.”

 

The Vessel shook their shell at her apology. Their eyes closed into a smile as they stood and grabbed Rosette’s larger hand.

 

It was much harder for Leaf to express their emotions. They had no mouth and no voice; a key element to their design. Rose didn’t know  _ everything  _ about Vessels, she admitted. She only knew what had been fed to her from members of her church and her “father”. At the very least, he was the man who took her in after her parents’ demises. She tuned out her useless thoughts to focus on the smaller being standing before her. There was something clear about them she had long ago promised not to forget:  _ they were not empty. _

 

She watched in obvious amusement as the smaller being climbed into her lap and snuggled into her. Their eyes closed, and a frown met her face as the cracks along her friend’s shell were brought even further into view. Her fingers traced as the blemishes and welcomed the searing lack of warmth that met her gentle caresses as void seeped onto her.

 

The butterfly had plans, but when she saw her friend like that, curled up and peaceful, she was forced to admit she didn't have the heart to disturb them.

 

So they stayed like that. Curled against one another, the soft chirps of maskflies and gentle brushings of the wind lulling the two into a state of calm. Rose gently brushed her black claws over the Vessel’s shell as she slipped her eyes shut and blocked out the dangers of the world around them.

 

She knew it was naive to believe she could continue on like this. If Pestilence were to ever find out—she shook the thought from her head. She didn’t want to think of the possibilities. Pestilence was so much stronger than her, had the chance to kill her and didn’t. Perhaps they knew how easily she could be manipulated and melded. The thought made her shudder.

She glanced down at the figure in her arms. Quiet, and peaceful. Were they all like this? Everything she had killed and destroyed—were they all just children who were desperate to finally be loved?

 

That made her lurch in her seat, bile rising in her throat as the haunting flashes of black, dripping ooze filled her mind as those small bodies stopped  _ moving _ —

 

A small hand grasped at her mossy shirt, tugging at it. The butterfly forced herself to look at the growing concern rising on her friend’s shell. Rose must have alerted them awake. She felt bad, and took a small breath to apologize, when those small arms wrapped around her in a hug. 

 

_ ‘Rosie?’ _

 

“... I’m fine, dear. I apologize for startling you.” She smiled at returned the hug with a small sigh, shaking limbs pressed against them. They didn’t seem convinced. She couldn’t tell them what was troubling her, but perhaps she could find a way to get her mind off the whole ordeal. “... Say, I actually had something planned today…”

 

Leaf perked up at that, showing obvious interest. Rose stifled a laugh as she stood to her feet and set them on the ground. Walking behind the bench, she retrieved her brushes, paints, easel, and canvas that she had hidden earlier that day. Leaf’s interest seemed to magnify at each new object she pulled out.

 

“I was wondering if I could paint you? It was something my mother taught me to do very long ago, and one of her favorite hobbies. She seemed so full of pride whenever I completed my first painting, even if it truly wasn’t that  _ good _ .” She traced a clawed finger along her cheek. “She was such a wonderful woman…”

 

Leaf tilted their head, concern growing on their features again, as well as that same interest as before. She smiled and pat the top of their shell. “If you’re wondering, yes, she’s dead. She was infected along with my father. But that was a very long time ago and I’ve recovered from it.” The Vessel nuzzled against her head, seeming unsure, but let it go a moment after. She pulled her hand away and brought it to her chin in thought. 

 

“Am I forgetting something? I thought this was everything. Hm…” She murmured, glancing around before resting her eyes on her companion. “Oh! That’s it!” She raced behind the bench again as Leaf watched in interest once more, the butterfly returning with a bouquet in her clawed hands. They were all roses. She held them out to the smaller being who accepted them with joy.

 

“My body grows them, hence the name my parents chose for me.” She smiled, before a sudden thought struck her and she frowned. “Is that strange? I should’ve thought this through, of course it’s weird to just give someone things  _ that grew out of your body _ .” But when she looked back down at Leaf, they were practically radiating giddiness.

 

_ ‘Pretty,’  _ They hugged the bunches of flowers close to their chest.  _ ‘Notweird. Thankyou.’ _

 

Rosette couldn’t help the bright smile that spread over her face. “You’re welcome.”

**Author's Note:**

> when i was writing about her painting i remembered kinda recently when i was painting and there was this one paint i wanted to use, but i wasn't sure what kind it was (these were my friend's and so far they were half acrylic, half oil, with a couple of watercolor). so i had this moment of chaotic energy where i just said to myself "let's find oUT" and proceeded to smear the paint on my hand to see if it would wash off in water


End file.
